1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data input apparatus and a display data analysis apparatus that analyzes measured data used for an electronic health monitor terminal apparatus or the like with various measuring instruments carrying out health check.
2. Related Art of the Invention
FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a conventional electronic health monitor terminal apparatus. An electronic health monitor terminal apparatus is a terminal apparatus to collect various data about a user's health. Checking the user's health requires various data and the electronic health monitor terminal apparatus is equipped with a variety of measuring instruments and their output system also has a great variety. For this reason, the terminal main unit is provided with an interface to allow various data inputs.
FIG. 17 shows a sphygmomanometer 201, a clinical thermometer 202, a uroscopic meter 203, a pedometer 204, scales 205, an adipometer 206 and an electrocardiograph 207, and a data collection apparatus 209 in a terminal main unit 208 is equipped with an infrared receptor 210, a serial I/F 211, a keyboard 212 and optical communication I/F 213 to collect such output data.
The sphygmomanometer 201 is linked with the terminal main unit 208 by means of infrared radiation. The clinical thermometer 202 is connected to the terminal main unit 208 via a serial cable. The electrocardiograph 207 is connected to the terminal main unit 208 via an optical cable.
The user measures his/her health condition using these measuring instruments.
After measuring a blood pressure, data is input through an infrared communication. After measuring a body temperature, data is input through a serial communication. After measuring urine sugar, the number of steps, weight and fat, the user himself/herself reads the data from a data display section and enters the data from the keyboard 212. Since the electrocardiograph is connected to the computer system main unit via an optical communication cable, the measured data is sent to the computer system at all times.
In this way, the terminal main unit receives data inputs through an infrared communication, serial communication, optical communication and manual entries.
However, the conventional electronic health monitor has the following problems:
Firstly, both a measuring instrument and computer system must have hardware for communications, which causes high cost.
When an infrared, optical or serial communication is performed between a measuring instrument and computer system, each communication requires communication hardware at both ends. In the case of measuring instruments in particular, general measuring instruments are usually not provided with such a communication apparatus and it is easily imaginable that an addition of such communication hardware will result in extremely high cost.
Secondly, entering data from the keyboard itself is liable to erroneous inputs.
Handling the keyboard also requires experience on the user part and is also subject to personal preferences, and therefore it is not an input apparatus acceptable by everybody. Especially visually impaired people can not use it. Moreover, when the user reads measured data by his/her eyes and inputs the data from the keyboard, input errors are inherent in human intervention.
Thirdly, connection between a measuring instrument and the terminal main unit via a cable involves complicated routing. Cable connections are obtrusive whether the instrument is used or not, and their length itself is limited and the user must be within a certain distance from the terminal, which is disadvantageous in respect of configurations.